Linda Baker, Salon.com asks "Are you ready for some 'unswooshing'"? (2003) (page 490-7)

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WebLinks: Contexts for Exploring Visual and Verbal Texts

In the consumer culture we live in, we want our products to be practical and have a design that appeals to our senses. However, we rarely think about why or how one design appeals to us while another doesn't. Furthermore, how something is designed says a lot about the values and beliefs of the people who designed it and the people who consume it. Design, in other words, is never neutral—but it is always political.

At the links below you can explore some recent topics in which the seemingly neutral design of something became a major controversy. As you read about "the politics of design," think about how and why these certain designs became politically charged.

http://www.nytimes.com/ref/arts/design/IOVI.html?8hpib Many people designed monuments or memorials for Ground Zero—the site of the World Trade Center. Here is a link to the designs the committee on the official memorial rejected. Why do you think these models didn't appeal to the committee?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Tower
Read about the proposed design and controversy surrounding New York City's "Freedom Tower," located very near Ground Zero.

http://www.smartgrowth.org/Default.asp?res=1280
"Smart Growth" is distinctive approach to urban planning that limits the sprawl of big companies like Wal-Mart. Smart Growth advocates talk about "sustainable" and "livable" urban design, but many companies feel it impinges on the free market. Read more about the politics of urban design here.

http://www.designmuseum.org/digital/
A link to the Design Museum of London. This page provides interactive features so you can browse through the museum's exhibits. The site provides great historical background information, but not much on politics per se. What do you think the politics of chair design are?

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